Some People Do Not Taste Salt Like Others

　　Low-salt foods may be harder for some people to like than others，according to a study by a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences1 food scientist.The research indicates that genetic factors influence some of the difference in the levels of salt we like to eat.

　　Those conclusions are important because recent，well-publicized efforts to reduce the salt content in food2 have left many people struggling to accept fare that simply does not taste as good to them as it does to others3，pointed out John Hayes，assistant professor of food science，who was lead investigator4 on the study.

　　Diets high in salt can increase the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.That is why public health experts and food companies are working together on ways to help consumers lower salt intake through foods that are enjoyable to eat.This study increases understanding of salt preference and consumption.

　　The research involved 87 carefully screened participants who sampled salty foods such as soup and chips，on multiple occasions，spread out over weeks5.Test subjects were 45 men and 42 women，reportedly healthy，ranging in age from 20 to 40 years.The sample was composed of individuals who were not actively modifying their dietary intake and did not smoke cigarettes.They rated the intensity of taste on a commonly used scientific scale，ranging from barely detectable to strongest sensation of any kind.

　　Most of US like the taste of salt.However，some individuals eat more salt，both because they like the taste of saltiness more，and also because it is needed to block other unpleasant tastes in food.said Hayes.Supertasters，people who experience tastes more intensely，consume more salt than nontasters do.Snack foods have saltiness as their primary flavor，and at least for these foods，more is better，so the supertasters seem to like them more.

　　However，supertasters also need higher levels of salt to block unpleasant bitter tastes in foods such as cheese，Hayes noted.For example，cheese is a wonderful blend of dairy flavors from fermented milk，but also bitter tastes from ripening that are blocked by salt，he said.A supertaster finds low-salt cheese unpleasant because the bitterness is too pronouncedo6.

　　Hayes cited research done more than 75 years ago by a chemist named Fox and a geneticist named Blakeslee，showing that individuals differ in their ability to taste certain chemicals.As a result，Hayes explained，we know that a wide range in taste acuity exists，and this variation is as normal as variations in eye and hair color.

　　Some people，called supertasters，describe bitter compounds as being extremely bitter，while others.called nontasters，find these same bitter compounds to be tasteless or only weakly bitter，he said.Response to bitter compounds is one of many ways to identify biological difterences in food preference because supertasting7 is not limited to bitterness.

　　詞匯：

　　publicize v.引起公眾對的注意;宣傳 ferment v.發酵

　　geneticist n.遺傳學家

　　dietary adj.飲食的;規定食物的 acuity n.敏銳;尖銳

　　注釋：

　　1.Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences：即Penn State University-College of Agricultural Sciences賓州州立大學農學院。Penn是Pennsylvania的縮寫，是美國賓夕法尼亞州州名。賓州州立大學建于1855年，在全國共有24個分校。在句中，Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences用作定語，修飾food scientist。

　　2.well-publicized efforts to reduce the salt content in food：大力宣傳減少食物含鹽量的做法

　　3.1eft many people struggling to accept fare that simply does not taste as good to them as it does to others：使得許多人努力去接受適合其他人而不適合他們口味的食物。fare相當于food。

　　4.1ead investigator：研發項目負責人

　　5.carefully screened participants who sampled salty foods as soup and chips，on multiple occasion，spread out over weeks：經過仔細篩選的實驗參與者，他們在幾周內的不同時間里品嘗了湯和薯條等含鹽食物。

　　6.too pronounced：此處pronounced為形容詞，意為very noticeable，conspicuous。

　　7.supertasting：超重味感

　　練習：

　　1.In paragraph 2，John Hayes points out that

　　A.it is good to health to eat food without salt.

　　B.many people reject low-salt food completely.

　　C.many people accept low-salt tasteless food reluctantly

　　D.food with reduced salt tastes better.

　　2.The fourth paragraph describes briefly

　　A.how to select subjects and what to do in the research.

　　B.how to identify supertasters and nontasters.

　　C.why to limit the number of subjects to 87 persons.

　　D.why to select more male subjects than female ones.

　　3.The article argues that supertasters

　　A.1ike the taste of saltiness to block sweet tastes in food. .

　　B.1ike snack foods as saltiness is their primary flavor.

　　C.consume less salt because they don t like intensive tastes.

　　D.1ike to share salty cheese with nontasters.

　　4.Which of the following applies to supertasters in terms of bitter taste?

　　A.They like bitterness in foods as well as saltiness.

　　B.They like high-salt cheese as it has intense bitter taste.

　　C.They prefer high-salt cheese，which tastes less bitter.

　　D.They prefer high-salt cheese as it is good to health.

　　5.What message do the last two paragraphs carry?

　　A.Taste acuity is genetically determined.

　　B.Taste acuity is developed over time after birth.

　　C.Taste acuity is related to ones eye and hair color.

　　D.Taste acuity is still a mysterious subject in science.

　　答案與題解：

　　1.C 根據短文的第二段內容，很多人因為食物中的含鹽量降低，所以必須做出很大努力去適應，而低鹽食物對于他們來說，口味很不好。選項C有accept reluctantly表達了這層意思，所以是正確的選擇。A、B、D三個選項均是錯誤的。

　　2.A第四段介紹了科學家是如何設計這項研究的，它包含了研究對象的人數、性別、人選條件、咸度味感分級表等。選項A概括了這方面的內容，所以是答案。而選項B、C、D所述內容均不符合該段的意思。

　　3.B短文的第五段提供了答案。supertaster在這里的意思是：口味重的人，在本文中，nontaster是其反義詞，即，口味清談的人。該段告訴我們，口味重的人消耗更多的鹽;因為快餐食品的主要味道就是咸味，而且咸度越高，口味越好，所以口味重的人對快餐較為偏愛。選項B表達了上述內容，所以是答案。

　　4.C短文第六段提供了答案。該段告訴我們，奶酪發酵會產生苦味，supertasters不喜歡苦味，而高含鹽量可以蓋住奶酪里的苦味，這是他們偏愛高鹽奶酪的原因。所以，只有C是正確選擇。

　　5.A 文章第七段中，Hayes引用了75年前一位遺傳學專家的實驗。從這項實驗中，Hayes得出的結論是，Taste acuity上的差異與他們頭發和眼睛的顏色上的差異是同一類

　　現象，也就是說，都是與生俱來的。第八段又說，這是一種biological difference，所以A是答案。B說味覺敏度是后天形成的，顯然與作者的結論相左。C說味覺敏度的差異與頭發和眼睛的顏色上的差異有關，顯然是錯誤的。D的內容在最后兩段都沒有提到，所以不會是答案

　　Some People Do Not Taste Salt Like Others

　　Low-salt foods may be harder for some people to like than others，according to a study by a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences1 food scientist.The research indicates that genetic factors influence some of the difference in the levels of salt we like to eat.

　　Those conclusions are important because recent，well-publicized efforts to reduce the salt content in food2 have left many people struggling to accept fare that simply does not taste as good to them as it does to others3，pointed out John Hayes，assistant professor of food science，who was lead investigator4 on the study.

　　Diets high in salt can increase the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.That is why public health experts and food companies are working together on ways to help consumers lower salt intake through foods that are enjoyable to eat.This study increases understanding of salt preference and consumption.

　　The research involved 87 carefully screened participants who sampled salty foods such as soup and chips，on multiple occasions，spread out over weeks5.Test subjects were 45 men and 42 women，reportedly healthy，ranging in age from 20 to 40 years.The sample was composed of individuals who were not actively modifying their dietary intake and did not smoke cigarettes.They rated the intensity of taste on a commonly used scientific scale，ranging from barely detectable to strongest sensation of any kind.

　　Most of US like the taste of salt.However，some individuals eat more salt，both because they like the taste of saltiness more，and also because it is needed to block other unpleasant tastes in food.said Hayes.Supertasters，people who experience tastes more intensely，consume more salt than nontasters do.Snack foods have saltiness as their primary flavor，and at least for these foods，more is better，so the supertasters seem to like them more.

　　However，supertasters also need higher levels of salt to block unpleasant bitter tastes in foods such as cheese，Hayes noted.For example，cheese is a wonderful blend of dairy flavors from fermented milk，but also bitter tastes from ripening that are blocked by salt，he said.A supertaster finds low-salt cheese unpleasant because the bitterness is too pronouncedo6.

　　Hayes cited research done more than 75 years ago by a chemist named Fox and a geneticist named Blakeslee，showing that individuals differ in their ability to taste certain chemicals.As a result，Hayes explained，we know that a wide range in taste acuity exists，and this variation is as normal as variations in eye and hair color.

　　Some people，called supertasters，describe bitter compounds as being extremely bitter，while others.called nontasters，find these same bitter compounds to be tasteless or only weakly bitter，he said.Response to bitter compounds is one of many ways to identify biological difterences in food preference because supertasting7 is not limited to bitterness.

　　詞匯：

　　publicize v.引起公眾對的注意;宣傳 ferment v.發酵

　　geneticist n.遺傳學家

　　dietary adj.飲食的;規定食物的 acuity n.敏銳;尖銳

　　注釋：

　　1.Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences：即Penn State University-College of Agricultural Sciences賓州州立大學農學院。Penn是Pennsylvania的縮寫，是美國賓夕法尼亞州州名。賓州州立大學建于1855年，在全國共有24個分校。在句中，Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences用作定語，修飾food scientist。

　　2.well-publicized efforts to reduce the salt content in food：大力宣傳減少食物含鹽量的做法

　　3.1eft many people struggling to accept fare that simply does not taste as good to them as it does to others：使得許多人努力去接受適合其他人而不適合他們口味的食物。fare相當于food。

　　4.1ead investigator：研發項目負責人

　　5.carefully screened participants who sampled salty foods as soup and chips，on multiple occasion，spread out over weeks：經過仔細篩選的實驗參與者，他們在幾周內的不同時間里品嘗了湯和薯條等含鹽食物。

　　6.too pronounced：此處pronounced為形容詞，意為very noticeable，conspicuous。

　　7.supertasting：超重味感

　　練習：

　　1.In paragraph 2，John Hayes points out that

　　A.it is good to health to eat food without salt.

　　B.many people reject low-salt food completely.

　　C.many people accept low-salt tasteless food reluctantly

　　D.food with reduced salt tastes better.

　　2.The fourth paragraph describes briefly

　　A.how to select subjects and what to do in the research.

　　B.how to identify supertasters and nontasters.

　　C.why to limit the number of subjects to 87 persons.

　　D.why to select more male subjects than female ones.

　　3.The article argues that supertasters

　　A.1ike the taste of saltiness to block sweet tastes in food. .

　　B.1ike snack foods as saltiness is their primary flavor.

　　C.consume less salt because they don t like intensive tastes.

　　D.1ike to share salty cheese with nontasters.

　　4.Which of the following applies to supertasters in terms of bitter taste?

　　A.They like bitterness in foods as well as saltiness.

　　B.They like high-salt cheese as it has intense bitter taste.

　　C.They prefer high-salt cheese，which tastes less bitter.

　　D.They prefer high-salt cheese as it is good to health.

　　5.What message do the last two paragraphs carry?

　　A.Taste acuity is genetically determined.

　　B.Taste acuity is developed over time after birth.

　　C.Taste acuity is related to ones eye and hair color.

　　D.Taste acuity is still a mysterious subject in science.

　　答案與題解：

　　1.C 根據短文的第二段內容，很多人因為食物中的含鹽量降低，所以必須做出很大努力去適應，而低鹽食物對于他們來說，口味很不好。選項C有accept reluctantly表達了這層意思，所以是正確的選擇。A、B、D三個選項均是錯誤的。

　　2.A第四段介紹了科學家是如何設計這項研究的，它包含了研究對象的人數、性別、人選條件、咸度味感分級表等。選項A概括了這方面的內容，所以是答案。而選項B、C、D所述內容均不符合該段的意思。

　　3.B短文的第五段提供了答案。supertaster在這里的意思是：口味重的人，在本文中，nontaster是其反義詞，即，口味清談的人。該段告訴我們，口味重的人消耗更多的鹽;因為快餐食品的主要味道就是咸味，而且咸度越高，口味越好，所以口味重的人對快餐較為偏愛。選項B表達了上述內容，所以是答案。

　　4.C短文第六段提供了答案。該段告訴我們，奶酪發酵會產生苦味，supertasters不喜歡苦味，而高含鹽量可以蓋住奶酪里的苦味，這是他們偏愛高鹽奶酪的原因。所以，只有C是正確選擇。

　　5.A 文章第七段中，Hayes引用了75年前一位遺傳學專家的實驗。從這項實驗中，Hayes得出的結論是，Taste acuity上的差異與他們頭發和眼睛的顏色上的差異是同一類

　　現象，也就是說，都是與生俱來的。第八段又說，這是一種biological difference，所以A是答案。B說味覺敏度是后天形成的，顯然與作者的結論相左。C說味覺敏度的差異與頭發和眼睛的顏色上的差異有關，顯然是錯誤的。D的內容在最后兩段都沒有提到，所以不會是答案